Consumers Want Green Action from Brands, Businesses

Consumers want businesses to take the lead on actions to reduce climate change (see chart), but 74 percent of Americans surveyed can’t identify (unprompted) any brands as taking a lead on the effort, according to the Climate Group’s just-launched U.S. Climate Brand Index, reports MarketingCharts.

The “Climate Conscious Consumer” study, which tracks perceptions of how brands are performing on climate change, was conducted over the summer by The Climate Group and jointly funded by Sky and Lippincott.

The top 5 brands according to the U.S. Climate Brand Index:

1. GE
2. Toyota
3. BP
4. Ford
5. Honda

The brands seen by U.S. consumers as doing the most to tackle climate change are linked to carbon or carbon-related products - automobiles, aircraft engines, turbines, and petroleum - implying that segments of the U.S. population are receptive to brands that address the issue. (See chart of industries most mentioned by consumers.)

In the U.K., retailers rise to the top, with Tesco, The Co-operative, Marks & Spencer, and Sainsbury’s joining BP in the top five.

The findings point to distinct behavioral and attitudinal differences that separate the market into six segments on this issue. Companies must understand the divided market if they are to engage with consumers without appearing disingenuous, the Climate Group said.

MarketingCharts offers more findings from the study, including consumer segmentation data.